As the new home of MASSPIRG's environmental work, Environment Massachusetts can be contacted regarding this news release.
BOSTON—The
world’s scientists are more than 90% certain that human activity –
primarily burning fossil fuels to power cars, power plants, and
factories – is responsible for most of the observed increase in global
average temperatures since the mid-20 th century, according to a
consensus report released early this morning by the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a United Nations body charged with
assessing the scientific record on global warming.
The
report finds that warming of the climate is “unequivocal” and warns
that temperatures could further increase substantially if serious
action is not taken to reduce emissions of the pollutants that cause
global warming.
Cars
and power plants are the largest sources of these emissions, though the
U.S. could reduce its emissions immediately using off-the-shelf
technologies to improve energy efficiency and shift to renewable energy
sources.
“Sections
of this report read like the Book of Revelations. But there’s still
time to protect future generations if Massachusetts and hopefully the
Congress put strict limits on global warming pollution,” said Diana
Connett, Energy Associate at MASSPIRG.
Today’s report is the first volume of the IPCC’s Fourth Assessment Report.
It synthesizes the peer-reviewed research published prior to 2006 on
the science underlying global warming. Additional volumes, examining
global warming impacts and options for reducing future warming, are due
out later this year. The full report includes input from more than
2,500 experts worldwide . The IPCC released its last assessment report
in 2001.
Among the major findings of today’s report include the following:
- Human Activities to Blame:
It is very likely (>90%) that human activities – primarily burning
fossil fuels – have caused most of the observed increase in global
average temperatures since the mid-20 th century.
- Record Temperatures:
11 of the last 12 years rank among the 12 warmest years on record. Cold
days, cold nights, and frost have become less frequent, while hot days,
hot nights, and heat waves have become more frequent.
- More Intense Tropical Storms:
There has been an increase in intense hurricane and tropical typhoon
activity since about 1970. The report also finds that it “is likely
that future tropical cyclones (typhoons and hurricanes) will become
more intense, with larger peak wind speeds and more heavy
precipitation” associated with warmer oceans.
Connett
noted that the report is inherently conservative because it reflects
the consensus of hundreds of parties, including industry groups and
governments opposed to taking action to reduce global warming
pollution. In addition, the report does not include any research
published in 2006, though there have been major research developments
on sea level rise and hurricane intensity, among many other areas.
The United Nations Environmental Program and the World Meteorological Organization established the IPCC in 1988.
In
Massachusetts, Gov. Patrick recently signed the Regional Greenhouse Gas
Initiative (RGGI), which is the first regional pact in the country to
reduce global warming pollution. RGGI will put a cap on the amount of
pollution that power plants can emit and reduce that cap over time.
“This
makes clear that it’s time for action, and half-measures won’t cut it,”
said Connett. “Here in Massachusetts, we need real leadership to finish
RGGI and then adopt more comprehensive, mandatory, science-based
pollution reduction targets. And in Congress, we need lawmakers to put
a strong federal policy in place as soon as possible.”
MASSPIRG
works with the Massachusetts Climate Coalition, which is a group of
organizations that advocate for global warming pollution reductions, in
order to pass climate safe legislation in Massachusetts. The coalition
has put forth an aggressive agenda to increase energy efficiency,
promote the use of renewable energy, and ratchet down the amount of
global warming pollution emitted in all sectors of the economy.
“If
anyone was still wondering, the debate is indeed over. Now is the time
to get to work to pass meaningful legislation that reduces pollution
quickly enough to avoid the worst effects of global warming,” concluded
Connett.
